In one of the most humiliating moments of the season, Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was hooked in the 17th minute of their Champions League round of 16 clash against Atletico Madrid.
On Tuesday night, Kinsky was handed his first start since October as Igor Tudor decided to drop the out-of-form Guglielmo Vicario.
It was a brave call from the under-pressure manager but it backfired almost immediately, with Kinsky making a handful of errors in the opening stages to hand Atletico a three-goal advantage after just 15 minutes.
Shortly after Julian Alvarez made it 3-0, the Czech shot-stopper headed straight down the Metropolitano tunnel after being replaced by Vicario. He also received a standing ovation from the home support.
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Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, who was on punditry duty for TNT Sports, said he was “heartbroken” for the red-faced Kinsky, who was making his Champions League debut.
“I’ve been trying to make sense of it, and my overriding feeling is that my heart is absolutely broken for the lad," he said, adding: "This Tottenham team is all over the place at the moment."
Another ex-goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, was in shock at Tudor's decision to bring him off. "Wow, wow, wow," he said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I have never seen that on a football pitch. What a huge call from the manager Igor Tudor. Yes, the goalkeeper was at fault, but that is confidence-destroying for Antonin Kinsky."
After goals from Marcos Llorente, Antoine Griezmann and Alvarez handed Diego Simeone's side a sizeable first-leg advantage, the home side went 4-0 ahead thanks to a 22nd-minute strike from Robin Le Normand.
Tottenham managed to pull one back through Pedro Porro, but things are looking bleak for Tudor amid growing speculation around his future.
Igor Tudor addresses Tottenham form ahead of Atletico Madrid game
Tudor, who was named interim in February following the departure of Thomas Frank, believes Tottenham can avoid relegation from the Premier League, but whether he will be in charge until the end of the season remains uncertain.
“I understand the fans, they wanted more,” Tudor said after the club's defeat to Crystal Palace on Thursday. “We also wanted more. The red card changed everything. It might sound strange, I believe more after this game than I believed before.
“I saw something. I need to choose the right guys because the boat is going in the direction that I need to go, and who is in the boat can stay, otherwise [they] can leave the boat."
He added: “When the other players come back, I'm sure we'll have a good team and come back. It's not easy to accept the moment we are in now.”
Topics: Tottenham Hotspur, Champions League, Atletico Madrid
Jack Kenmare